The Tops 5 Ways to Clean Up Your Diet for Spring

With spring around the corner, many of us seek change in routine eagerly inviting the season of renewal. As days get longer, we are exposed to more sunlight receiving a boost in energy and feel good endorphins that inspire us to clean up our acts. So while others are dusting the cobwebs, and organizing yard sales, why not take a look at your diet and offer it a spring-cleaning instead! Follow these tips and reconnect with your healthful eating habits so you feel and look your best this spring.

Variety is the spice of life  - If you are eating the same thing day after day, you are not only boring your taste buds, but you are missing out in a wide variety of essential nutrients. Even if you generally eat healthfully, changing up your dietary routine is a good idea.  Find some simple healthy recipes ideas at Lauren Leonard Health.  

Veggie scrubbers – The first step in cleaning up the diet is eating a lot of plant based foods that scrub out all the “junk,” as in congestion, chemicals, and stress we accumulated over the winter. Aim to eat 2-3 servings of both vegetables and fruit every day and feel more energized instantly.

Its not easy being green –green vegetables are THE least consumed food in the average American’s diet. Loaded with calcium, fiber, folic acid, vitamins and phytonutrients, however, just by eating a small amount of these nourishing foods, you will naturally crowd out the foods that make you sick and overweight. Try this recipe, which turns super food kale into savory chips everyone in your family will eagerly devour.

Spring detox –while the veggies do the internal dirty work, we must support their natural detoxification process by removing the things that are added to our food supply when processed – things like salt, sugar, flavorings, colorings, and other chemicals.  Sugar being the most addictive, can be the hardest and most rewarding to remove from the diet.  Join me at one of my upcoming Spring Sugar Detox talks, and learn the secrets to kicking your sugar cravings for good.

Be curious – Go to a local farmer’s market or even the grocery store and pick out a vegetable or fruit that you’ve never had before then Google how to prepare it. Better yet join a CSA (community supported agriculture) and get a hefty supply of vegetables, fruits, and herbs all year round for very little money. Many farms offer recipes on how to prepare lesser-known vegetables like kohlrabi (these are absolutely delicious roasted by the way). Find a CSA or farmer’s market near you, most farms will sell their summer shares starting in March.